Sodium Carbonate, also called soda ash, is a light gray powder and inorganic compound that occurs naturally in mineral deposits. Widely distributed in nature, this alkaline salt is used in detergents and cleansers.
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When dissolved in water, sodium Carbonate forms carbonic acid and sodium hydroxide — an antacid that neutralizes gastric acid.[7] It has a molecular weight of 105.988 g/mol, and it can take on physical forms of dry powder, pellets or large crystals, or white odorless solids. It has a melting point of 856 °C and is freely soluble in water.
Sodium Carbonate is a precipitating builder, which means it forms an insoluble substance that enhances or maintains the efficiency of cleansers.[4] It also helps control the acid-base balance of cosmetic products.[5]
With its ability to break down dirt and oil on your skin, sodium carbonate is also used in skincare and haircare products to regulate pH levels. It can be found in products such as exfoliants, shampoos and conditioners, bath oils and salts, and moisturizers. Solutions of concentration at or below 10% are generally considered safe for contact on skin and hair.
Toothpastes use sodium carbonate for its antibacterial properties as a way to protect teeth from decay. In higher concentrations, it can protect periodontal pathogens and alleviate inflammation in the gums.
Sodium Carbonate is a versatile compound that has a variety of other applications.
Commercially, there are a few ways to manufacture sodium Carbonate. One method starts with crushed ore that is dissolved in a hot substance. That mixture is then filtered, crystallized, and reheated. Another method involves combining a soda ash mixture with ammonia and then filtering it.[9]
Discover how safe this ingredient is used when applied to everyday skin and hair products, as well as its environmental impact.
The ingredient is recognized as safe by both the FDa and Cosmetic Ingredient Review. There is a potential for irritation to the skin and eye, but only if it is used at an extremely high concentrated solution with a pH level of over 11.
Sodium carbonate is an eco-friendly, biodegradable substance that naturally occurs in its dissociated form. It has a low risk of bioaccumulation and it is not absorbed in soil.
Sodium carbonate differs from sodium bicarbonate, which is popularly known as baking soda. Unlike sodium carbonate, which is made from sodium and acid, baking soda is made of sodium, acid, and hydrogen. However, both are ionic compounds that are soluble in water.
Borax is not a sodium carbonate but a sodium borate. Although they both contain sodium, borax has a higher pH level of 9.5 and is commonly used as a harsher cleaning agent. It is also harmful when eaten, inhaled, or exposed to skin.
Why Puracy Uses Sodium Carbonate
Sodium Carbonate is a water softener; it also helps keep dirt from redepositing on things during washing and breaks up oil and grease.[10] Whole Foods has deemed the ingredient acceptable in its body care and cleaning product quality standards.[11,12] The FDA has deemed sodium Carbonate as generally recognized as safe (GRAS).[13] According to the Cosmetic Ingredients Review, sodium Carbonate is safe for use in cosmetic products.[14] Studies show that the ingredient does not irritate the skin and is safe for use in cosmetics and food.[15,16,17,18]
[1] Cosmeticsinfo.org[2]Centers for Disease Control and Prevention[3] U.S. National Library of Medicine[4] American Cleaning Institute[5]Cosmeticsinfo.org[6] Environmental Working Group[7] U.S. National Library of Medicine[8] Personal Care Council[9]U.S. National Library of Medicine[10] American Cleaning Institute[11] Whole Foods Market[12] Whole Foods Market[13] Food and Drug Administration[14] Personal Care Council[15] Federation of American Societies for Experimenta Biology (FASEB). (). Evaluation of the health aspects of Carbonates and biCarbonates as food ingredients. Prepared for Food and Drug Administration, Washington, D.C.[16] Code of Federal Regulations (CFR). (). Title 21, Food and Drugs, Parts 184., 184., 184., and 720.4. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office.[17] Hoag, L.A., Weigele, C.E., Talamo, H., Marples, E., and Woodward, K. (). Effect of therapeutic doses of sodium biCarbonate on the kidneys. J. Pharmacol. Exp. Ther. 47, 233-5.[18] Peterson, O.L., and Finland, M. (). The effect of food and alkali on the absorption and excretion of sulfonamide drugs after oral and duodenal administration, Am. J. Med. Sci. 204, 581-8.
Soda Ash (sodium carbonate)
FEATURES, PRODUCTION METHOD AND APPLICATIONS
Soda ash or soda ash Na2CO3, or sodium carbonate (also known as washing soda, soda ash and soda crystals) is a mineral compound that has different hydrated structures. All forms of this compound include white, odorless, water-soluble salts that produce moderately alkaline solutions in water. Historically, this substance was extracted from the ashes of plants grown in sodium-rich soils.
Humans have known and used soda ash for thousands of years. The ancient Egyptians extracted this compound from a mineral called natron, which was found at the bottom of dry lakes. Natron is a combination of baking soda and baking soda.
Egyptians used its soda in embalming corpses. This combination kept the bodies of the dead dry and prevented them from decaying. This technique was so effective that some mummified bodies with more than 3,000 years of age are still in the same condition as when they died. Over the centuries, sodium carbonate was also produced from the combustion of organic matter, especially seaweed. In this production method, this common compound is soda ash. Burning dead plants does not produce very large amounts of sodium carbonate, so chemists of the time looked for synthetic methods to produce this important compound. The first breakthrough in this quest came in , when French chemist Nicolas LeBlanc (-) devised a method for producing sodium carbonate that became an industry standard for nearly a century. In , almost all sodium carbonate produced in the world was made by the Solvay process. In the following, we explain these processes.
The total value of soda ash (sodium carbonate) produced in was estimated at $1.8 billion, and US production of 12 million tons was about the same as the previous year. The US soda ash manufacturing industry includes four companies in Wyoming with five plants and one in California with one plant. The five producing companies have a total annual capacity of 13.9 million tons.
1- PRODUCTION OF SODIUM CARBONATE FROM THE MINE
Trona, also known as trisodium hydrogen bicarbonate dihydrate, is mined in several regions of the United States and supplies nearly all of its soda ash consumption. Large natural deposits discovered in , such as those near Green River, Wyoming, have made mining more economical than industrial production in North America.
There are significant reserves of trona in Türkiye. Two million tons of its soda is extracted from deposits near Ankara. Also, from some lakes such as Lake Magadi in Kenya, this compound is extracted by dredging operations. Hot springs produce lake salt continuously, provided the rate of dredging does not exceed the rate at which the spring draws water, a perfectly stable source of sodium carbonate.
2- SODA PRODUCTION FROM PLANTS AND ALGAE (BARILLA AND KELP)
Several “halophyte” (salt tolerant) plant species and seaweed species can be processed to produce the crude form of sodium carbonate; These sources were mostly consumed in Europe and other places until the early 19th century. Plants or seaweed were dried and burned. Then the ashes were washed with water to form an alkaline solution.
This solution was boiled dry to produce the final product, which was called “soda ash”. “Barilla” is a trade term for the crude form of potash obtained from coastal plants, or kelp.
3- LEBLANC PROCESS TO PRODUCE SODIUM CARBONATE
In , French chemist Nicolas LeBlanc patented a process for producing sodium carbonate from salt, sulfuric acid, limestone, and coal. In the first step, sodium chloride is purified with sulfuric acid in the Mannheim process. This reaction leads to the production of sodium sulfate (salt cake) and hydrogen chloride:
2NaCl + H2SO4 → Na2SO4 + 2HCl
Salt cake and crushed limestone (calcium carbonate) are reduced under heating with coal. This conversion consists of two parts. The first is the carbothermic reaction in which coal, the carbon source, reduces sulfate to sulfide:
Na2SO4 + 2C → Na2S + 2CO2
The second stage of the reaction is the production of sodium carbonate and calcium sulfide:
Na2S + CaCO3 → Na2CO3 + CaS
This mixture is called black ash. Soda ash is extracted from black ash with water. From the evaporation of this extract, solid sodium carbonate is obtained.
Hydrochloric acid produced by the Leblanc process was a major source of air pollution, and the calcium sulfide byproduct also caused waste disposal problems. However, this main method of producing sodium carbonate remained in force until the late s.
4- PRODUCTION OF SODIUM CARBONATE IN THE SOLVAY PROCESS
In , Belgian chemist Ernest Solvay devised a method to produce sodium carbonate by first reacting sodium chloride, ammonia, water, and carbon dioxide to produce sodium bicarbonate and ammonium chloride:
NaCl + NH3 + CO2 + H2O → NaHCO3 + NH4Cl
Then the resulting sodium bicarbonate was converted into sodium carbonate by heating and water and carbon dioxide were released:
2NaHCO3 → Na2CO3 + H2O + CO2
Ammonia was produced from the by-product of ammonium chloride and by treating it with lime (calcium oxide) remaining from the production of carbon dioxide:
2NH4Cl + CaO → 2NH3 + CaCl2 + H2O
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The Solvay process recovers ammonia. Only salt water and limestone are used in this process and calcium chloride is the only waste product. This process is considerably more cost-effective than the Leblanc process, which produces two waste products, calcium sulfide and hydrogen chloride.
The Solvay process quickly dominated sodium carbonate production worldwide. By , 90% of this material was produced by the Solvay process, and the last Leblanc process plant closed in the early s.
5- PRODUCTION OF SODIUM CARBONATE IN HOU'S PROCESS
This process was developed by the Chinese chemist Hou Debang in the s. Carbon dioxide, the primary byproduct, was pumped through a saturated solution of sodium chloride and ammonia to produce sodium bicarbonate by these reactions:
CH4 + 2H2O → CO2 + 4H2
3H2 + N2 → 2NH3
NH3 + CO2 + H2O → NH4HCO3
NH4HCO3 + NaCl → NH4Cl + NaHCO3
Because of its low solubility, baking soda is collected as a precipitate and then heated to about 80 °C (176 °F) or 95 °C (203 °F) to obtain pure sodium carbonate, similar to the last step of the Solvay process. .
More sodium chloride is added to the remaining ammonium and sodium chloride solution. Also, more ammonia is pumped into this solution at a temperature of 30-40 degrees Celsius. Next, the temperature of the solution drops below 10 degrees Celsius. The solubility of ammonium chloride is higher at 30°C than sodium chloride and lower at 10°C.
Due to this temperature-dependent solubility difference and common ion effect, ammonium chloride precipitates in sodium chloride solution. The Hawes process is more economical because it does not require more ammonia and, on the other hand, the ammonium chloride byproduct can be sold as fertilizer.
Heavy soda ash is often used in making glass, while light soda ash is used to produce chemicals and detergents.
About 45% of soda ash produced in the world is used in the glass industry. The use of alkaline substances such as Na2CO3 in glass making reduces the temperature of glass formation from to - degrees Celsius, which leads to a decrease in energy consumption in this industry. Among other uses of its soda, the following can be mentioned:
Glass production industry 47%, chemicals 30%, soap and detergents 6%, miscellaneous uses 11%, desulfurization of flue gases 4%, pulp and paper 1% and water treatment 1%.
High demand has caused excess production and more exports. This includes China, which has the largest soda ash production capacity, but is also the largest soda ash consumer. China exports about 9% of the total global supply of soda ash, although it owns about 45% of global production capacity.
In addition, the top 5 countries account for approximately 86% of the total global export volume. The United States is the largest exporter of soda ash, supplying about 43% of the total world volume, followed by Turkey.
There are three leading producer groups in the world for soda ash: National Soda Ash Corporation of America, which has 5 major producers of soda ash in the United States, Chinese producers and the Belgian company Solvay.
1- GLASS MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY
Sodium carbonate acts as a flux for the silica (2SiO, with a melting point of °C) and raises the melting point of the mixture to a level that can be achieved without the need for special materials. This “soda mixture” dissolves slowly in water.
Therefore, some calcium carbonate is added to the molten mixture to make the glass insoluble. Bottle and window glasses are made by melting such mixtures of sodium carbonate, calcium carbonate and silica sand and silicon dioxide.
2- AS A WATER SOFTENER
Hard water contains dissolved compounds, usually calcium or magnesium compounds. Sodium carbonate is used to remove temporary and permanent hardness of water. Since this material is soluble in water and magnesium carbonate and calcium carbonate are insoluble. It is used to soften water by removing 2+ Mg and 2+ Ca.
These ions form insoluble solid deposits after treatment with carbonate ions. Water becomes soft because it does not contain dissolved calcium ions and magnesium ions.
3- FOOD AND COOKING ADDITIVE
Sodium carbonate has a variety of uses in cooking, mainly because it is a stronger base than baking soda but a weaker alkali than metal hydroxide (which may refer to either sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide). Alkalinity affects gluten production in kneaded doughs. A solution of alkaline salts of this compound is used to flavor Japanese noodles.
Bakers similarly use baking soda as a substitute for fresh water to give their cakes texture and improve browning.
This substance is used in the production of syrup powder. A cold, tingling sensation in the mouth is caused by an endothermic reaction between sodium carbonate and a weak acid, usually citric acid, which releases carbon dioxide gas, and occurs when the syrup is moistened by saliva.
This substance is also used in the food industry as a food additive (code E500) as an acidity regulator, anticoagulant, bulking and stabilizing agent.
4- OTHER USES OF SODA ASH
Sodium carbonate and baking soda are two different chemical compounds and differ from each other chemically and functionally. Sodium Carbonate has the chemical formula Na2CO3 and is known as a salt. This compound is used as an alkaline material and is used in various industries including glass industry, water treatment, detergent production, and copper and steel industries as a material with wide applications. Baking soda (Sweet Alkali or Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate) is a different chemical compound and has the chemical formula C6H11O7Na. This substance belongs to the family of carbohydrates and organic salts and is used as a pH regulator and modifier in food. Therefore, sodium carbonate and baking soda are two different substances and should not be confused with each other. Each of these materials have their own applications in different industries and are used for specific purposes.
Sodium carbonate is a chemical compound that is useful in many applications, but should be used with care. This combination can have risks:
Skin and eye contact: Direct contact can cause skin and eye irritation. Therefore, you must use special protection to avoid direct contact with skin and eyes.
Inhalation: Inhalation of tails containing sodium carbonate can lead to breathing problems. This problem may occur in environments where there is a high concentration of sodium carbonate.
Ingestion: Ingestion can cause stomach and digestive tract complications. Therefore, you should avoid sodium carbonate tanks and storage places.
Interference with other substances: It may interact with other chemicals and cause unwanted reactions. Therefore, it should be used with care and awareness of possible interactions.
Damage to the environment: the discharge of sodium carbonate into the environment without caution can lead to water pollution and damage to the environment.
When working with this compound, do not breathe its dust. Wear appropriate protective clothing. Wear appropriate breathing equipment, masks, goggles, and gloves. Avoid contact with skin and eyes.
Sodium carbonate packages should be stored away from incompatible materials such as acids. Keep the ingredients in a closed container. Store containers and bags in a cool and well-ventilated place. This composition should not be stored at high temperatures; The best temperature is 24 degrees Celsius.
Sodium Carbonate Packaging
The packaging of light sodium carbonate and heavy sodium carbonate is available in the market in strong and strong bags with a weight of 50 kg. For bulk orders, side bags are also available, which are offered to the customer in a weight of kg.
CHEMICAL COMPOSITIONUNITMinMax Sodium Carbonate(Na2Co3)%wt99.299.6 Sodium Chliride(NaCl)%wt0.50.7 Sodium Bicarbonate(NaHCo3)%wt-0.1 Sodium Solfate(Na2So4)%wt-0.05 Iron(Fe)ppm-50 Loss on heating%wt-0.2 Moistore%wt-0.2 Nippm-30 Crppm10 Mnppm-10 Cuppm-30 Characteristics Total Alkalinity%wt58..42 Pouring Densityg/cm30.450.6
CHEMICAL COMPOSITIONUNITMinMax Sodium Carbonate(Na2Co3)%wt99.299.6 Sodium Chliride(NaCl)%wt0.50.7 Sodium Bicarbonate(NaHCo3)%wt-0.1 Sodium Solfate(Na2So4)%wt-0.05 Iron(Fe)ppm-50 Loss on heating%wt-0.2 Moistore%wt-0.2 Nippm-30 Crppm10 Mnppm-10 Cuppm-30 Characteristics Total Alkalinity%wt58..42 Pouring Densityg/cm30.450.6 Mesh <40%wt40 Mesh 40-140%wt59 Mesh >140 %wt1
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